To satisfy the Oregon Diploma requirements, each student must achieve a certain number of credits. This means that students do not have to attend high school for four years. Although, they can graduate when they have earned all of their credits. Each class is worth .5 or one semester. Subject areas have different requirements for the number of credits.
Language Arts: English
Language Arts has a requirement of four credits. This equals eight semesters of English learning. A common pathway is to take English 9, 10, 11 and 12. Another pathway is to take International Baccalaureate, (IB), English junior and senior year of high school. This is not the only way to fulfill English requirements.
South provides 10 electives that count towards an English credit. All grades can take public speaking, scholastic journalism and creative writing I and II. These classes are worth .5 of a credit. Juniors and seniors are able to take mythology, street literature, world literature and philosophy, world mythology, world literature and culture and LGBTQ+ stories. The literature classes are all year, replacing English 11 and 12.
Mathematics
Math credits can be achieved in four different pathways. However, students only need three years worth. Each pathway is determined by 8th grade math placement levels or recommendations. Students are also able to move between pathways to fit their learning needs.
Freshmen can start in Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics, (AGS), I, Accelerated AGS I or Accelerated AGS II. This starting class will determine which pathway students will follow for their high school career.
Sophomores have the option to continue with AGS II, Accelerated AGS II or International Baccalaureate, (IB), Standard Level, (SL), Analysis. Commonly, students who take AGS I will move to AGS II, Accelerated AGS I to Accelerated AGS II and Accelerated AGS II to IB SL Analysis. If a sophomore takes IB SL Analysis, this opens the pathway to take IB Honors Level, (HL) Analysis their junior year.
Juniors will continue their math education with multiple options. Juniors can choose from IB SL Applications I, Algebra II, Financial Algebra, IB SL Analysis I or IB HL Analysis I.
After earning the three credits, students have the opportunity to continue their math or finish it. If students continue to pursue math, they have the option of IB SL Applications II, College Algebra, Financial Algebra, IB SL Analysis II or IB HL Analysis II. If a student wants to take the IB test in math, they must take two years of the IB math course.
Science
All students take the same first two years of science courses, Physics and Chemistry. Yet, students can choose to earn honors in these classes to eventually take IB science classes. Honors is not required to take IB classes. Science requires three credits and can be completed by the end of Junior year.
If a student chooses to take the regular pathway, they can take Biology, Anatomy-Physiology, Zoology, Earth Science or Marine Science during their third or fourth year of high school.
Students who choose the IB Science route are able to take IB Biology, IB Chemistry, IB Physics or IB Environmental Systems and Societies. Students can choose to take multiple IB Sciences if they wish, but to be able to take the test they must be enrolled in the class for two years.
Social Studies
Students are required to earn 2.5 credits of social studies. The first two credits are achieved from World Social Studies and U.S. Social Studies, which has an honors option. After that, students can choose to take IB HL History or a social studies elective.
Most history electives are only for Juniors and Seniors. This includes Youth and Law, History in Cinema, American Crime Through Time, Contemporary World Problems, IB Psychology and IB Economics. Yet, Sophomores can take Psychology I, History of Sociology and LGBTQ+ Histories.
Health Education & Physical Education
All students are required to earn one credit for Health Education and Physical Education. Typically, Freshmen will take Wellness Skills for Life I and follow up with Wellness Skills for Life II during their Junior year.
Along with this, freshmen will take Personal Fitness, which is a freshmen-only class. After freshman year, students are able to choose between different electives for another .5 credit. This includes Individual Team Sports, Lifetime Fitness, Weight Training, Net Sports, Unified PE and Techniques of Relaxation.
Fine and Applied Arts & Electives
Fine and Applied Arts are earned through taking a World Language. Students are required to take a language class during their Freshman and Sophomore years, which fulfills the requirement. Languages offered are French, German and Spanish. Students are also able to receive their credits if they obtain the World Language Proficiency credit. This credit is earned through a test in a different language that the student may already be proficient in. If interested, students are encouraged to talk to their counselor.
Students are required to have four elective credits. South offers numerous electives. Such as, Broadcast Journalism, Culinary, Computer Sciences and more. Some electives require a prerequisite, such as Drawing II.
New Credits
Starting for the Class of 2027, Oregon has implemented three new credits to earn the Oregon Diploma. These credits are Civics, Higher Education and Career Skills and Personal Financial Education. Each category is worth .5 credits.
Higher Education and Career Skills can be earned throughout sophomore to senior years. These classes are Higher Education and Career Path Skills (HECP), Advancement Via Individual Determination, (AVID) and IB Personal and Professional Skills.
Personal Financial Education credits can be earned throughout all four years. For freshmen, they are able to take Introduction to Business. Sophomores through seniors will take the Personal Financial Education class.
To earn the Civics credit, juniors will take Government and Civics.
Dual Credits
Students also have the opportunity to receive college credit while taking a high school class. Eligible colleges are Chemeketa Community College, Western Oregon University and Oregon Institute of Technology. Students are able to work with their teachers to identify which opportunities are best suited for them.
Students and families have access to the 2026-27 course catalog for South on the school website to gain further information about credits. If needed, students can talk to their counselor about the best steps for their future goals, such as the IB Diploma Programme, (DP), and IB Career Programme, (CP), diplomas.
